battle cries and bittersweet goodbyes
by Batgirl67
Summary: just a super sad little oneshot set some time in the next book. there will be tears, probably. rated T for character death.


I just want to say in advance that I am very sorry. except not really. this is unbeta-d, so I hope you all don't find it _too _terrible. it just popped into my head earlier and I couldn't stop laughing over how absolutely terrible I am, so I had to write it.

this takes place during some big battle in the next book, just for reference.

disclaimer: I certainly don't own these characters, and judging from this story, that's probably best.

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All around you all you can see is fighting. Swords and claws and countless other weapons, encroaching on you at every side, leaving little room for you to fight the monster right in front of you. But you are Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and you aren't about to let a lack of space stop you from making sure this monster doesn't skewer you like a demigod shish kabob. So you bob and you weave and when the right moment strikes, you thrust your dagger deep into the monster's stomach, causing it to explode into a puff of dust.

You stop and you breathe for a moment because feeling like you're about to pass out from exhaustion so early in the battle is _not_ an option. With a start you realize that you no longer have a battle pressed up to your every side, so you take a moment to take stock of everything.

There's Hazel and Piper to your left, slashing their way through a horde of _dracanae_, and doing a pretty good job of covering each other's backs. And there's Frank over to your right, he's taken the form of a lion and is locked in battle with what appears to be a hellhound. Directly in front of you, Jason and Leo are hashing it out with about a dozen or so _empousai_.

"Your mother was a donkey!" You hear Leo shout as he lobs what looks to be a wrench at an _empousa's_ head.

"Hiss!" Is her witty reply as she falls backwards right onto Jason's sword.

All of that is fine and well, but as your eyes continue to scan the battleground, you can't seem to find that boyfriend of yours.

But then suddenly your ears are filled with the most sickening sound you've ever heard. You turn, and there's Percy, suspended nine feet off the ground, a long, sharp piece of rock impaled through his chest.

You take a half a moment to register what exactly is happening, as though your brain and your eyes can't quite agree that what you're seeing is actually real. But then it starts to sink in and you feel a sudden rushing in your ears, a terrible feeling in your stomach.

In the back of your head you hear a voice tear through the silence that seemed to have engulfed the immediate area, a horrible screech of what sounds like "Percy!" Another part of your brain registers that that's _your _voice that just made that terrible sound, and it's all you can do not to throw up right there.

You're frozen in place as the world seems to stop around you, but then suddenly a flash of gold rushes past you, and in an instant the earthborn and his spire of rock covered in blood-_oh gods so much blood _-are falling to the ground, a lion by the name of Frank on its chest. And then so is Percy, he's falling falling falling, so far, _too far_. You're not sure how they find the strength, but suddenly your legs are carrying you towards him as fast as they can, and your head is filled with thoughts of _No no please gods no not him not him. _

It only takes you a few moments to arrive at his side but it feels like an eternity, and then suddenly you're on your knees and there's _so much blood, too much blood_. The hole in his chest is so large it makes you gag, then that somehow turns into a sob, and you can feel the harsh sting of tears in your eyes.

He's staring at you, those eyes you could stare into forever but will never have the chance to, and you realize he's smiling. His voice comes out in a forced whisper,

"Hey, so, I have something I need to t-tell you, and I figure this might be my last ch-chance."

You want to tell him to shut up, that he shouldn't talk like that, that he _lived through Tartarus _so this should be a walk in the park, but you can't. The blood just keeps coming and you're not sure if he can even move, and you're pretty sure it's a miracle that he's still able to say anything at all, so you lean in so close that you can feel his breath on your cheek and you listen.

"Annabeth Chase, I love you. I love y-you so much. I'm sorry I'm such a se-seaweed brain and went and got myself k-killed, but I guess I finally ran out of l-luck."

Your tears are dripping onto his tanned face that's so quickly turning pale, and somehow you choke out a slightly hysterical laugh because you're not sure you would really qualify everything else that's happened in his life as 'lucky.'

You want to say "I love you, too", you want to say "Don't leave me, please don't leave me", you want to say _anything_ at all, but then it's too late. His warm breath on your face slows to a halt, his eyes that were fixed on yours glaze over, and for a moment you can't breathe. You feel as though maybe if you don't breathe, maybe if you just wait a moment his mouth will curve back into a smile, and he'll jump back up, sword in hand and ready to face anything else that's prepared to kill him. But then another moment passes, and another, and another, and he's still laying there, bloody and lifeless, and you're still alive, and it's just _not fair_.

You're not sure how long you stay there, your legs numb from kneeling, but then suddenly the ground is shaking and when you look up, you realize that the earthborn is walking in your general direction, Frank thrown to the side. Your hand grips your dagger tight as you rise, your legs wobbly, and you briefly see red. _You did this, this is your fault, you took him from me_.

So you charge, the same five words ringing in your ears like a chant.

_As long as we're together._

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please review and let me know how much you hate me right now. reviews like that make me so happy.

-hugs and kisses, batgirl67


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